Commercial Vehicle
Underwriting Checklist for $750,000 / $1million CSL limits:

1. How long has the customer been working in this occupation?
New to occupation – Decline
1-2 years – Refer to U/W
More than 2 years – Continue
2. Does any driver currently have a revoked or suspended license?
Yes – Decline
No – Continue
3. Does any driver have a major violation (see reverse side)
Yes – Decline
No – Continue
4. Is any driver age 16 – 20 on the policy?
Yes – Decline unless driver exclusion form is signed
No – Continue
5. Are any drivers age 21– 24 or 65+ on the policy?
Yes – Refer to U/W
No – Continue
6. Does any driver have a combination of 1+ accident / 2+ occurrences?
Yes – Refer to U/W
No – Continue
7. Does the customer have less than 12 months of continuous in force liability coverage?
Yes – Refer to U/W
No – Continue
8. Is prior liability coverage less than 50/100 or less than 100 CSL?
Yes – Refer to U/W
No – Continue
9. Are any vehicles dump, boom, or tank trucks?
Yes – Refer to U/W

Group A – Major Violations:
DUI / Reckless Driving / Evading / Felony convictions, etc.

• Lawful order or inspect, failure to obey officer
• Attempt to evade pursuing peace officer
• Refusal to obtain special permit prior to moving vehicle
• School crossing guard, failure to obey
• Presenting or displaying false evidences of registration with the intent to avoid registration fees
• False report of vehicle theft, with intent to deceive
• Vehicle identifying numbers; altering, defacing, replacing, or forgery
• Fraudulent acquisition or disposition of vehicle identification number
• Operating a chop shop
• Auto theft, permanently or temporarily deprive owner of possession
• Driving without a license
• Driving with a driver’s suspended or revoked license
• Unlicensed person; employing, hiring, or knowingly permitting to drive
• Hit and run
• Driving in excess of 100 mph
• Reckless driving
• Speed contest; Racing
• Minor under influence; DUI
• Under influence of alcohol, drugs, or combination; DUI
• Vehicular crossing or toll highway; failure to obey officer’s lawful order
• Unlawful operation; after notice by peace officer

GMAC Insurance is committed to providing our independent agents with a competitive auto product that is positioned for long term growth and profitability.  Due to increasing industry loss trends, we are implementing the following procedures effective immedately:

• Florida Personal Auto new business applications with one (1) or more Personal Injury (PIP) claims in the prior 35 months for all drivers combined are ineligible for coverage under our private passenger auto programs.

AND

• New business applicants must have six months of continuous prior liability insurance with prior bodily injury limits of at least 15/30 to be eligible for coverage under our private passenger auto programs.

At this time, our eAgency rating platform has not been programmed to automatically mark the risk ineligible should the policy not meet the guidelines indicated above.  Therefore, it is extremely important that you communicate this new procedure to all licensed agency staff in your office.

GMAC Insurance is actively working to improve our ability to control fraud to counteract escalating loss trends.  We have recently added additional SIU resources that we believe will help reduce the amount of fradulent claim activity.

Walk-in Customers:

• Always ask how a customer learned about your agency.
• Is your office within close proximity to their home or work? If your office is not convenient to their home or work – ask yourself, “Why are they here?”

Prior Insurance:

• Does the customer have prior insurance without a lapse in coverage? If not, why did it lapse?
• What if the customer is not currently insured?
• Ask how long it has been since they were last insured.
• Ask for the carrier and agency name for the prior coverage.
• Ask what is prompting them to obtain a new policy now.
• Ask if they had any accidents or filed a claim with the prior carrier.
• Ask why they are not purchasing coverage with the same agency and/or insurance carrier.

Older Model Vehicles:

• Ask if any vehicle(s) to be included on the new policy has/have any existing damage.
• Ask if any vehicle(s) to be included on the new policy was/were involved in a prior claim.
• Ask to inspect all covered vehicles for any existing damage before you bind coverage.
• Verify the vehicle VIN numbers and take photos of the vehicle(s) to document the existing damage.
• Ask for a copy of the vehicle registration and driver licenses for all vehicles/drivers listed on the policy and save them in the customer file.
• The State of Florida requires a vehicle pre-inspection in certain counties. We encourage agents to consider voluntary inspections as a prudent field underwriting practice – especially when concerned about potential fraud.

Employment Information:

• Make notes in the customer’s agency file
• Ask if the customer is employed and if so where (name of company and telephone number).
• If unemployed, ask for the source of income.

Residency History:

• Ask how long they have lived at their current address and who else lives there.
• Anyone with knowledge of suspicious activities may also contact the Department of Financial Services
insurance fraud hotline at 1-800-378-0445 or www.MyFloridaCFO.com/fraud. The state offers a reward
of up to $25,000 for information directly leading to an insurance fraud arrest and conviction. Together we
can make a difference!

Everyday at East Coast Auto Insurance we run auto insurance quotes.  Also, everyday at East Coast Auto Insurance people lie about their driving records and/or credit history.  This inevitably results in someone getting upset and most likely it is the customer who is lying.  The important thing to know is that they will find out no matter how good you lie.

Obviously it is difficult to remember all your tickets, but accidents hopefully not so much.  If you have had too many accidents to remember than you probably shouldn’t be driving anyways.  Also if you have ever had a PIP or PD claim.  No insurance company will take you if you have had a claim of this nature.

The first thing we do when quoting a customer is run the MVR or Motor Vehicle Report and this can cost up to $10.  Agents in many cases have to pay this and if we knew you have 10 accidents this quarter we probably wouldn’t run it and waste time and money.

Credit is a little different as it is much more personal for people and I think it stinks that credit scores seem to be such a reliable indicator for accidents and claims.  People do lie daily about this, but you don’t have to as we will see your score anyways.  It is important to remember though that the score just needs to be reasonable have a positive effect on  your rate.

People also seem to lie about continuous coverage as well which is also something that will be found immediately during the binding process.  Thus there is no reason to exaggerate your coverage length.  If you haven’t had insurance for 6 months continuously or if you haven’t had any auto insurance in years your rate is going to stink.

It is amazing how complex car insurance really is. I’m sure most people would prefer a much simpler system but that just isn’t how it works. Since the system is so complex there are many facts that the average person doesn’t know about their insurance. Knowing as much about your insurance as possible will help you make the most of a service you have to pay for.

Driving Permit

Most of the time you only have to insure your teen after they have their license. Don’t bother adding them to your insurance until after they move from their permit to a license. If you forget to add your child on after they get their license you will still be okay. If they end up getting in to an accident they will still be covered. The only hitch is that you will have to pay the premium for all the time that they weren’t added to your insurance.

Usage Based Insurance

There is a type of insurance known as “usage based insurance”. If you are an infrequent driver this type of insurance is worth getting. You will have to tell them how often you drive and if it is infrequent enough you could save quite a bit.

Diminished Value

After you get in to an accident you might be able to claim a diminished value on your car. Your car is not worth quite as much after it is fixed after an accident. If the accident was not your fault you can get compensated in many states for the drop in value.

Your Friend is on Your Policy

When you loan out your car to someone they are protected under your policy. If they get in to an accident you have to claim it on your insurance and your rates will go up. You are completely liable for what your friend does while driving around in your car, so be careful who you let drive.

Personal Property Isn’t Covered By Car Insurance

Any of your personal belongings in your car are not covered by your car insurance policy. For those personal items you can file a claim on your home insurance if your items are worth more than the deductible. Often times you will just have to buy new stuff.

Keep all of these facts in mind the next time you drive or loan out your car. You never know when this information might help you out.



Property is fairly self explanatory it covers your personal vehicle.
Liability is protection from damages, or legal liability for others involved in a collision. Their property as well as any bodily injury to the other party(s).
Medical coverage’s pertain to expenses in relation to wounded or injured participants in the accident. This traditionally includes coverage’s for your injuries as well as injuries dealt to other party’s which your are sated liable for. In some case this even spans as far as medical rehab, lost earnings, and even funeral expenses.
An auto insurance policy is made up of six basic types of protection. Almost all states require some degree of insurance protection none require it to the extent where you must be protected from all six types of damages. On the other hand if you don’t own your vehicle the company who is handling your financing may have its own stipulations as to the extent of coverage necessary. Auto policies typically renew yearly or bi-yearly your insurer will notify you when it’s time to lay out your premium as well as your renewal dates.

2. What is covered by an auto policy/ the 6 parts of an auto insurance policy.

1. Bodily Injury

This protects you financially from the responsibility to reimburse other parties of accident for bodily injury the incurred in a collision. In most policies this spans as far as to cover you and even family members driving someone else car (with their knowledge and consent of course). Bodily Injury in many legal disputes causes more financial detriment that property damage so I personally suggest you purchase above your sates minimum requirements in this category of insurance.
2. PIP Insurance Aka Medical Bills

This coverage any medical cost incurred in a collision for the driver (policy holder) as well as the passengers of his or her vehicle. This includes but is not limited to: Medical Bills, Replacement of duties traditionally performed, lost wages, and worst case burial expenses.

3. Property Damage
Pretty self explanatory but I’ll tell you anyway. This covers your car and the cars you hit. In most cases it also spans to damages to property caused by others driving your vehicle with your consent. It’s usually just vehicles that this pertains to but it also covers for almost anything you hit with your car that’s not a little girl riding her bike for instance, stop signs, barricades, government owned structures, light post’s, buildings, a house, you follow me right? It covers pieces of property your damage or destroy.
4. Collision

Collision covers your car. Once again collision = YOUR CAR ONLY this is very important to understand. So if you end up in a ditch, are hit by another vehicle, damages insured due to road hazards, or your assaulted by a jay walking tree (Don’t worry it’s not your fault the tree jumped out at you). Now in the event your claims reimbursement from collision coverage you’re going to pay your stated collision deductible then they cover the remainder of the repair expense. Now if it’s not your fault for instance being rear ended at a dead stop or hit by a drunk driver your still going to pay your deductible up front. Your carrier goes after the other policy holders insurance and when they are reimbursed for repair expenses your deductible is refunded, unless like in the examples I provided its obviously not your fault then your deductible is waived. In the case its definitely not your fault its best to file a claim with the other policy holders insurance in the first place and not even mention it to your carrier. In many states the officer at the scenes observations and report is the largest contributor to the determination of fault. This is because he or she is the only truly unbiased party in an accident so be nice!
5. Uninsured and Underinsured motorist coverage’s.
This coverage pays out when your hit by an uninsured driver , extremely under-insured motorist, or in the event of a hit and run. Under insured drivers are determined as drivers whose insurance policies do not span as far as the damages they caused do. This also comes into effect if your hit while walking on the sidewalk or across the street as a pedestrian.
6 Comprehensive
Comprehensive Coverage is coverage for happenings other than a vehicular collision. For instance damage due to a hurricane, tornado, fire, a brick, tree branch, natural disasters, unnatural disasters, angry ex’s, alien abduction anything outside of an accident or on road collision is considered comprehensive. The most important is glass coverage for a shattered or cracked windshield because in many states a car in that condition is illegal to drive. You may not have to pay a deductible for glass coverage in many states.

Whose Idea Was It To Have Car Insurance in the United States, Anyways??

Did you know that automobile insurance is the most widely purchased insurance in the world? It should not come as too much of a surprise since its origins can be traced back to the times of Ancient Chinese Maritime trading. Since there were no cars back then ships were the chief source of transportation of the day. Insurance came about as a form of protection for cargo on ships as it was often lost to sinking or piracy…but, enough with this side of the world……….what about the Americas?

Car insurance is a spin-off of marine insurance. It was developed in the United States after policymakers decided that operating a motor vehicle on public property was a privilege. It was enforced with motorists to purchase car insurance in efforts to protect innocent third parties against injury or property damage.
The first liability car insurance policy written in the United States took place in 1898 for Dr. Truman J. Martin. The first state to make mandatory car insurance law, was Massachusetts in 1927. However, car insurance policies actually came into play much earlier. In fact, car insurance policies can be traced back 100 hundred years prior to the introduction of the motor vehicle in the United States in 1908. Today, every state in the Union has adopted a mandatory car insurance requirement, although car insurance obligations vary widely from state to state.
Car insurance premiums are based on many factors including your age, sex, driving record, credit history, and the type of vehicle you drive. If you have multiple speeding tickets, or have been involved in multiple accidents, you will pay a much higher premium.
Car insurance is not a luxury, it is a necessity. It can save you thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands of dollars, should you ever be involved in a car accident. Most insurance companies offer monthly payment plans, making it easier on your budget.